Dawson has enjoyed success on and off the football field

Friday

Jun 21, 2013 at 12:01 AMJun 21, 2013 at 11:43 PM

Hard work and determination have carried JaJuan Dawson far in life.Those attributes helped Dawson excel in the classroom when he was an honor student at H.L. Bourgeois High School and Tulane University.

Brent St. GermainSports Editor

Hard work and determination have carried JaJuan Dawson far in life.Those attributes helped Dawson excel in the classroom when he was an honor student at H.L. Bourgeois High School and Tulane University.But that's not the only place where Dawson thrived because of hard work and determination. It also helped him become a standout football player.Starting on the playgrounds in Gibson, Dawson made a name for himself as a standout athlete, and his journey continued with stops at H.L. Bourgeois, Tulane and eventually the NFL.Now at 35, Dawson's playing days are behind him, but he still uses that same philosophy in life that helped him become a successful student and athlete."I've always strived to do my best on the field and in the classroom," he said. "Football was part of my life, and it's something that helped mold and shape my life. I always played every down like it was my last or as if this game meant the most. You just never know who is watching and what the next step in life will be."

STAR ATHLETE AT H.L. BOURGEOISDawson's first step was making a name for himself at H.L. Bourgeois, and he quickly did that as a standout athlete in football, basketball and track and field.During Dawson's senior season in 1994, H.L. Bourgeois struggled on the football field, finishing with a 1-9 record. "We didn't win a lot of games, but we still went out and competed every Friday," he said. "If you go and compete every time out, you never know who is watching so you always give it your all because good things can happen. I was fortunate enough that good things happened for me."Dawson was one of the few bright spots for H.L. Bourgeois. The Braves starting quarterback and defensive back finished his senior season passing for 1,455 yards and seven touchdowns, rushing for 742 yards and eight scores and intercepting a pass.The H.L. Bourgeois coaches and players quickly recognized Dawson's potential.Former H.L. Bourgeois linebacker Joby Dion said Dawson played with a lot of heart and was always willing to do what it took to help the team.Those qualities, Dion said, proved that Dawson could be a special athlete."JaJuan was the type of guy that had the makings early on," Dion said. "When someone has the potential, personality, athletic ability and brains, you know they have the potential to go far. He always wasn't the fastest, biggest or strongest, but he made the best of it. With all of those tools, it was hard for him not to be successful."Former H.L. Bourgeois coach John Lucas said it was easy to see that Dawson had the potential to make a name for himself on the next level."He was an all-around great athlete," Lucas said. "He was a good quarterback and a great basketball player. He's an outstanding athlete and one of the best I ever coached."

GOOD TIMES AT TULANEDawson's play at H.L. Bourgeois caught the eye of college prospects, but there was a catch — he would have to make the switch to wide receiver. Although he enjoyed playing quarterback, Dawson said he was open to the idea of switching positions."Quarterback is one of those positions that either you're the hero or the zero," Dawson said. "But for someone like me, who liked to be in control and the leadership role, quarterback was a phenomenal position for me in high school. "For me, quarterback was definitely a positive in not only helping develop leadership but also giving me the confidence to go out and make the switch to receiver. I knew I was smart enough and had the talent to make the position change," he added.Dawson initially drew interest Nicholls State University, but he jumped at the chance when Tulane coach Buddy Teevens offered him a scholarship. Dawson wanted the chance to go to one of the top academic schools in the country.Dawson really started to emerge as a player during his redshirt sophomore season when Tommy Bowden took over a head coach.Under Bowden's wide-open passing attack, Tulane's offense flourished, and Dawson blossomed into one of the team's top receivers.Teaming up with quarterback Shaun King, Dawson had solid sophomore and junior seasons and finished with 120 catches for 1,786 yards and 22 touchdowns in those two seasons."He was a consistent player and was someone who had a real high football IQ," King said. "He was a guy who always knew where he was supposed to be. He was a much better athlete than a lot of people give him credit for."A lot of time trust comes into play during a game. When I was throwing the ball and had to make an adjustment, he was one of the guys that I could trust to do the right thing," King added.Dawson said it took a lot of hard work to build that level of trust on the field."It was something that didn't develop overnight," he said. "We put in hours and hours in the offseason to become better players. The game was actually easy because the practices in the offseason were actually hard. We put in so much time and effort in being good that by the time we got to the season, it was second nature for us."Even after King played his final game at Tulane and Bowden left for Clemson, Dawson continued to put up big numbers for the Green Wave. Dawson had his best season as a senior, leading the team with a school-record 96 catches for 1,051 yards and eight touchdowns.Dawson ended his Tulane career in 1999 with 234 receptions for 3,048 yards and 31 touchdowns. He was also a three-time all-Conference USA selection.

THE PERFECT SEASONDawson's junior season was arguably one of the best in Tulane history after the Green Wave surprised many experts and finished 12-0.Tulane's 1998 undefeated season is something Dawson said he will always be proud of because few college players have done it."Not many people get an opportunity to go undefeated," he said. "That's a feat in itself because it doesn't matter who you are playing or when you playing, you had to outplay your opponent every time you stepped out on the field. That just doesn't happen too often. To go out and play consistent ball for the whole season was a tremendous attribute to the guys I played with."Tulane set many offensive school records that season, including total offense (5,578 yards), passing yards (3,352 yards) and points (540). The 12 wins were also the most in school history.King said the 1998 team has left a lasting legacy at Tulane."We worked so hard to have that season," King said. "It put us in a position to leave a legacy because we did something that had never been done before. After losing the first few seasons, we worked hard to turn things around, and we were able to leave our imprint at Tulane and in New Orleans."Tulane won the Conference USA title that season and defeated BYU, 41-27, in the Liberty Bowl. Finishing 12-0 was special, but Dawson said he and his teammates would have liked a chance to play in Bowl Championship Series game. At the time, the BCS was in its first season."Obviously we would have loved that opportunity," he said. "We felt like we were clicking on all cylinders, and we really wanted to be challenged. We played BYU in the Liberty Bowl, but we would have loved to play in the Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl or something like that at the time. I understand the BCS had to grow, and I'm glad to see that it's growing."

LIVING THE DREAM — THE NFLGrowing up, Dawson always dreamed of playing in the NFL.The Cleveland Browns made that dream a reality by selecting Dawson in the third round (79th overall)."It was a chance to live a dream," he said. "I enjoyed every moment of it, and I tell people that if I could do it all over again — go back and play ball in college and the pros — I would. It was such a fun time."Dawson had an immediate impact with the Browns, catching a 13-yard touchdown pass from Tim Couch in his first game. He led the team with six catches for 83 yards that day.Dion said he was excited to see his former high-school teammate getting an opportunity to play in the NFL."It was such a great story. I was able to tell people that I was able to play in high school with a guy who made it in the NFL," Dion said. "It was so cool to say that I played with that guy."Dawson's rookie season, however, came to a quick end one week later after he suffered a season-ending injury. Injuries would be something Dawson would battle throughout his NFL career. He would play two seasons with the Browns, one with the Houston Texans and spent time with the Indianapolis Colts. In 2004, he went to training camp with the New York Giants and was later released.Dawson finished his NFL career with 52 catches for 664 yards and two touchdowns."It was a good run," Dawson said. "I enjoyed it, but obviously, I wished it would have turned out a little different. Injuries and the business side of it are sometimes hard to compete with."

LIFE AWAY FROM FOOTBALLNow that his football career is over, Dawson still follows his hard work and dedication philosophy on life.Professionally, Dawson is a senior sales representative for Boston Scientific, and he uses some of the same traits that made him successful on the gridiron in his career."The competitiveness is still there, and obviously, you want to be successful," he said. "Believe it or not, but sales companies have actually recognized that former athletes make good sales reps. I've been in this for about eight years, and I enjoy it. It's probably not as glamorous as playing high school, college or pro football, but it's something I enjoy. It's a decent living, so I won't complain."Dawson is currently living in Dallas with his wife, Jamie, and daughters, Jadyn and Jayla.Dawson said he feels fortunate to have had an opportunity to live his dream, which would not have been possible without the help of family, friends, coaches and teammates."I would like to thank everybody who supported me throughout the years starting in high school and carrying over to college and the NFL," he said. "I had a lot of great fiends, coaches and teachers and support from my parents (Frederick and Susan Dawson), and I would not be here without them."